The leptin hormone is critical for normal food intake and metabolism. While leptin receptor (Lepr) function has been well studied in the hypothalamus, the functional relevance of Lepr expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) has not been investigated. The VTA contains dopamine neurons that are important in modulating motivated behavior, addiction, and reward. Here, we show that VTA dopami...

Activation of the dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) by ethanol has been implicated in its rewarding and reinforcing effects. We previously demonstrated that ethanol enhances GABA release onto VTA-DA neurons via activation of 5-HT2C receptors and subsequent release of calcium from intracellular stores. Here we demonstrate that excitation of VTA-DA neurons by ethanol i...

In the present study, we investigated the effects of selective activation or inhibition of ventral tegmental area (VTA) adenylate cyclase (AC) and protein kinase A (PKA) on long-term sensitization induced by repeated intra-VTA or peripheral amphetamine (AMPH). Selective inhibition of AC by SQ 22,536 (9-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-9H-purin-6-amine; 100 nmol/side bilateral into VTA) had no effect on a...

BACKGROUND Nicotine can activate dopaminergic neurons within the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, there is no evidence about complete inhibition of VTA on nicotine reinforcement. METHODS in the present study, we used conditioned-place preference (CPP) method to study the effect of transient inhibition of left and/or right side of the VTA by lidocaine on nicotine reward properties. Male ...

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is crucial for brain functions, such as voluntary movement and cognition; however, the role of VTA in sleep-wake regulation when directly activated or inhibited remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of activation or inhibition of VTA neurons on sleep-wake behavior using the pharmacogenetic "designer receptors exclusively activated by design...

The lateral hypothalamus (LH) sends a dense glutamatergic and peptidergic projection to dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a cell group known to promote reinforcement and aspects of reward. The role of the LH to VTA projection in reward-seeking behavior can be informed by using optogenetic techniques to dissociate the actions of LH neurons from those of other descending foreb...

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) activation in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is physiologically relevant for the control of palatable food intake. Here, we tested whether the food intake-suppressive effects of VTA GLP-1R activation are mediated by glutamatergic signaling within the VTA. Intra-VTA injections of the GLP-1R agonist exendin-4 (Ex-4) reduced palatable high-fat food intak...

Abstract The ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the midbrain is important for food reward. High-fat containing palatable foods have reinforcing effects and accelerate obesity. We have previously reported that diet-induced obesity selectively decreased the spontaneous activity of VTA GABA neurons, but not dopamine neurons. The spontaneous activity of VTA dopamine neurons is regulated by D2 autorece...

Ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons play roles in reward and aversion. The VTA has three major neuronal phenotypes: dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic. VTA glutamatergic neurons--expressing vesicular glutamate transporter-2 (VGluT2)--project to limbic and cortical regions, but also excite neighboring dopaminergic neurons. Here, we test whether local photoactivation of VTA VGluT2 neuron...

The dopaminergic system is involved in reward encoding and reinforcement learning. Dopaminergic neurons from this system in the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area complex (SN/VTA) fire in response to unexpected reinforcing cues. The goal of this study was to investigate whether individuals can gain voluntary control of SN/VTA activity, thereby potentially enhancing dopamine release to targ...